Sister Margarethe is out of the way. The door is locked. Now Aksinya can do something other than die. This is both a foreshadowing as well as a description of Aksinya's continuing power.
Aksinya croaked out a weak cry, “My things. The drawer.”
Natalya ripped open the drawer of the night table beside the bed. She already knew where everything was. She came in when she could and stared covetously at her mistress’s wonderful items. She had never touched them before, but only looked at them. She wondered every day when she might learn to use them.
“Get them all,” Aksinya hissed.
Natalya pulled out chalk and tallow candles. She took out Aksinya’s dagger. She took out a bag of herbs and another of wax.
Aksinya struggled to get off the bed. Natalya eased her to the floor. She knew what Aksinya wanted. She threw back the wonderful oriental rug and cleared a space. She dragged Aksinya into the center of that space.
Aksinya gasped, “Chalk.”
Natalya handed it to her. She had to hold it in Aksinya’s hand.
Aksinya began to draw a circle on the floor. It was impossible for her to move enough to do it.
Natalya took the chalk from her. She had seen Aksinya do this often enough. She drew as perfect a circle as she could around Aksinya.
On her hands and knees, Aksinya examined the entire line of the circle. She pointed to a couple of spots and Natalya retraced them. Aksinya gasped through a bloody cough, “Penta…gram.”
Natalya nodded. She drew a pentagram within the circle. She knew it wasn’t as beautiful or perfect as those Aksinya drew so easily, but it came out correctly and looked almost symmetrical. Aksinya examined the points. They were all touching and not outside the circle. The lines all came together properly. Natalya drew Aksinya up so she could kneel in the center of the circle.
Aksinya pointed to three of the tallow candles and directed Natalya where to set them. One at the top and two at the bottom at the points of the pentagram. Aksinya wheezed, “Light… them.”
Natalya was ready. She pulled a taper from the fireplace and lit each one.
Aksinya is dying. Natalya must help her or she will die. Notice that Natalya knows where all of Aksinya's things are. She covets Aksinya's items for sorcery. Aksinya's sin calls Natalya to sin. Natalya has watched Aksinya so much that she knows exactly what to do. I give you the details of the sorcery again. Natalya helps Aksinya make the magic circle. Aksinya checks the details to ensure they are exact. I'm not sure how much more to describe from this piece. The sorcery comes form Frasier's The Golden Bough and ideas about magic from his theories. The sorcery is all based on these rules.
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